Handball

If Ryan Lochte’s abs are the only thing you saw during the 2012 Olympic games, you missed a bunch of  opportunities to peep some of the lesser-known, equally-awesome sports—and the athletes behind them.

truth caught up with Olympic team handball player Diva Desai shortly after she returned from London. Not sure what team handball is? You’re probably not alone. Diva says people frequently confuse handball with wall ball, but it’s closer to water polo without the water.

Here’s what else she had to say:

…about her training:

Even though I graduated, I still play handball with my college handball team twice a week. Besides that, I try to do some sort of activity every day. I usually switch off between running intervals, the weight room and swimming laps. Every now and then, I’ll play some basketball or tennis with friends to keep things exciting.

…about London:

A lot of people seemed skeptical of handball since they hadn’t really seen it before. However, once games started, the mood instantly changed. People were truly amazed by the sport. It was incredible to see the atmosphere in the Copper Box (where handball games are played) even with a crowd of mostly first-time handball fans.

I also found there seems to be an infatuation with going out to a dessert place after dinner. I stayed with family while in London and I believe we went to a different dessert place at least 4 of the 8 days I was there.

…about her sport:

The purpose of the game is to throw a ball—smaller than a soccer ball, but much bigger than a tennis ball—into a goal, protected by a goalie. The tricky part: There’s a line of defense (6 people) who can physically stop you from scoring. The sport seems to be more fluid than basketball, as you can take three steps before you dribble, and then three after you dribble. And when you’re on offense with the ball, you have three options: pass, dribble or shoot.

I know people would love the sport if they became familiar with it.